Is a $100 Golf Simulator Any Good?

There’s a lot of cool gear in the golf equipment world that doesn’t always fit neatly into Most Wanted Tests or Buyer’s Guides. You still want to know how it performs. In our We Tried It series, we put gear to the test and let you know if it’s worthy of your consideration.

What We Tried: The new Golf Daddy simulator. A portable, “realistic” golf simulator that doesn’t need a golf ball and can be used indoors and outdoors.

Who Tried It: Jamie Danbrook, father of two little kids and always looking for ways to maximize practice time and improve at this fun, yet frustrating, game.

The Golf Daddy Simulator

A few months ago, this device started popping up on my Instagram ads. It looked too good to be true: a launch monitor system that made very bold claims and was priced under $100.

Before we get into their claims, let’s cover what is included in the box. The box itself was pretty nice, well-packaged, with good marketing on the front and back. Inside the box was a hitting mat, black rubber tee, anchor for outdoor use and a tripod stand for the phone.

I was a little surprised to see how much was packed in the box and how nicely everything fit together. The instructions were pretty simple and provided a clean guide to help get you started.

Up to this point, things were off to a good start.

The Golf Daddy Mat

If it doesn’t use a golf ball, how does it record a swing? The mat is layered with a black sequined top that has a green dot in the middle to represent the ball. When a user swings and makes contact with the mat, it will leave the sequins turned in the other direction, now white, basically showing a divot pattern. It took a few swings to feel confident in hitting the mat itself. Due to where the green dot is placed, the AI program reads the pattern and produces the shot on screen. How this can reliably read distance and accuracy? I am a bit unsure but we will get into that shortly. 

The Golf Daddy App

I really liked most functions in the app. It is clean, well-thought-out, with different game modes, driving range options and other challenges. There is little break-in period to understanding the navigation of the app.

There are no full course modes but there are, at the time of writing this, five holes you can play. Most are par-3s but there is a 330-yard par-4. 

There is also a section where your sessions are recorded. Unfortunately, of the five sessions I have logged so far, I only have a handful of swings I can view again. I know I have made between 15 and 30 swings per session but several of the sessions have zero swings for viewing. Whether this is a space or time thing that deletes them, I am not sure. Mystifying. 

The Golf Daddy Claims

I said they were making bold claims and I wasn’t kidding. Take a look at the photo below of what is being marketed for their product.

As you can see, it should be just about the best thing possible. Claiming to be a fraction of the cost and have all the benefits and none of the downsides of higher-priced units, it had a lot to live up to. Because you don’t even need to hit a golf ball to play, it really should be a golfer’s dream setup. Going into this whole experience, my expectations were high but the price kept them from getting over the top. 

Then the first hit came.

For a little context, my expectations were lowered after receiving an email from Golf Daddy immediately after my order, stating they were still going through app testing and that, for the moment, only iOS devices were compatible. As an Android user, I was a little bummed but went out and got an iPhone so I could begin testing. This is still an iOS only device and, while I was offered the beta testing for the app, I waited until it was released officially on the Apple App Store to start my testing.

With the iPhone in hand, I was ready to start. This is where things really fell apart for me.

It is important to note that there will be more app updates and there could very well be room for significant improvement. Golf Daddy also has a Discord channel set up for its users to provide feedback. It does seem they really want to get this right.

Does It Actually Work?

It does, in fact, work. Does it work well? For me, that is a big no. If I were to go through their marketing claim by claim, I would say it falls short in nearly all of them. Especially when compared to my Rapsodo MLM2Pro, what I am seeing does not translate to what actually happens on the golf course or range. 

The tripod leg broke on my first outing and I had to put it back together. I would definitely recommend this being better for indoor use versus outdoor, as the tripod is not well-suited for terrain that is not near perfectly level. It does still work but it is built more for being compact versus being sturdy. 

The Bigger Claims

To cover a few of the larger claims, here is what I have found so far. Again, my caveat being there could be enhancements made to the app to improve some of these.

Realistic Accuracy – This wasn’t even close. I struggled to get a shot that recorded over 100 yards, regardless of the four clubs I used. This is another point that I wasn’t aware of. At the moment, the only club options for use are 8- iron, 9-iron, pitching wedge, sand wedge. The left and right may be close? Hard to tell but, for distance, I can confidently say it is not within the three yards it claims. 

Efficient Practice – I struggle with this one because of how the app is set up. I felt rushed and it took me about 15 swings to get into a groove with how the system and app worked. 

To get into more detail, there are a few seconds where the app records when you can swing. Miss it and nothing will be recorded and the shot is missed. However, in order to get it to record, you have to press the button on the phone. So you press the button a couple of times to hit the shot, start recording, rush back to your spot to take your swing.

Whew!  If there were two people, this could be a lot more effective or maybe allow for a longer time to record.

Usable Anywhere and Easy To Set Up and Take Down – For sure. I have set this up at work, at home, inside and outside. The actual setup and timing are quick and easy. This is the benefit of not having to use a golf ball.

Is It Worth It?

Even though, up to this point, this unit fell well short of expectations or their own claims, I had to ask myself, is it worth the $99? Would I rather use this or set up my Rapsodo or even play Wii Golf?

The answer, for me, is pretty clear. Until significant improvements are made to the numbers and recording function, it is a hard pass.

I can see where some golfers would love this product. It is an interesting concept with potential. Rapsodo does a much better job and is just as easy to set up and use. Yes, you need a ball, but you can also use your full bag and are not limited to four clubs and you have thousands of courses to play. The claim of being accurate within threeyards is, in my experience, not even close. I had a tough time getting it to be close to 30 or 40 yards.

Does It Help Your Golf Game?

The other part that struck me is how this can affect swing mechanics. I have a steeper swing and was able to make the pattern fairly easily on the mat. Those with a shallower or “sweeper-type” swing may really struggle with this. On the flip side, the steeper swing also meant adjustments to the mat had to be made. I have noticed some wear and tear on the sequin with it showing white on the edges after 40 or so swings.

Bottom Line

If you want to practice inside, without a golf ball, and play a more arcade-style game without caring about the numbers, this could be a good product for you. If you want to play virtual or sim rounds of golf and want to use your full bag of clubs, this isn’t the product you should be looking at.

The claims on their site fall well short of expectations and my experience with the Golf Daddy Simulator is underwhelming. While there is room for improvement with updates to their software, the durability of the physical product is suspect. I have concerns about the tripod breaking and obvious wear and tear on the mat. 

I do hope this can become more than what it is right now. But at the moment, even at less than $100, I feel my time training and practicing are best used with other devices.

Stay tuned as to when there are updates as I will be sure to come back and provide further feedback.